Olumide Akpata, a governorship aspirant on the platform of the Labour Party, has refuted allegations of his involvement in the arrest of the party’s national chairman, Julius Abure, and four others in Benin City. The arrest took place on Wednesday, carried out by police operatives from Zone 5 in Benin City.
Akpata, the immediate past national chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, has vehemently denied the accusations made by Kenneth Imasuagbon, another party aspirant, linking him to the arrest of the party’s chairman. He discredited Imasuagbon’s comments as “reckless and unfounded,” emphasizing that they are completely false and irresponsible.
In a statement, Akpata explained that the arrests were unrelated to him and were based on an incident that occurred on December 29, 2023, wherein a former National Youth Leader of the Labour Party was allegedly assaulted in Benin City. Subsequently, a police investigation was prompted after the victim submitted a petition, accusing the arrested officials of orchestrating the incident.
Akpata clarified that he was erroneously implicated in the incident on December 29, 2023, and stressed his lack of involvement in the matter. He expressed a strong interest in the police investigation to clear his name fully.
Expressing concern, Akpata highlighted the timing of the arrests, which occurred just 48 hours before the party’s governorship primary election in Edo State. He also raised apprehension regarding the delay in the release of the party’s delegates’ list of the ward congresses conducted the previous Tuesday.
